Excellence in Teaching Award Recipients
Assistant Professor
History
Every student, whether they are enrolled in seated or online courses, should be able to take classess that are accessible, challenging, and meaningful. - Dr. Jessica Elliott
Dr. Elliott creates engaged communities within fully online courses utilizing asynchronous and synchrounous instructional delivery methods, research-based instructional practices, and the integration of technology tools to "expand access to meaningful higher education" (Elliott, J.). Dr. Elliott has noted more meaingful and consistent engagement with the use of online collaborative annotation tools "even when compared to in-class discussions in seated classes" (Elliott, J.).
Dr. Elliott has "high expectations but explains in detail exactly what she wants from us and how we can do it, so she really sets you up for success and growth" (student)
Associate Professor
Economics
I motivate students with my own passion for the subject and love seeing them develop an interest in the topic. - Dr. Timothy Flannery
Dr. Flannery is an expert in Game Theory, Behavioral Economics, and Behavioral Economics and Public Policy and engages in ongoing discipline-specific professional learning from leading researchers in the field of economics in order to provide students access to the most current theories and practices within the field. Students learn economic theory and complex concepts through game-based instruction and in-class experiments.
Assistant Professor
Philosphy
Dr. Harwood is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy, and he strives to help students be informed citizens and engaged scholars by creating a safe environment in which all students can discuss difficult issues. Dr. Harwood believes growing up in the deep South has been an asset to his role as an educator because his background is closer to the average MSU student than most professors. Comments from students are a testament to this belief; “this course gave me plenty of tools to fight for justice [and] what I believe is good.” – [this class] helped me to discover so much about the world and myself.” – Dr. Harwood has certainly encouraged engaged scholars when one student said they reached “a place of respect for the philosophies we studied and find the beauty in each. I think I will probably delve deeper into each at different points in my life. Which is definitely a surprise for me.”
Clinical Instructor
School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences
Relationshps should be the center of every classrom and teaching experience. - Dr. Amber Howard.
Dr. Howard utilizes student-centered approaches by engaging in humanizing, relevant, and relation-centered pedagogical practices, such as developing equitable, inclusive, and trauma-informed course policies, modeling best practices, and focusing on building relationships with students. Dr. Howard's students note her care for students, passion for teaching, ability to connect with students, and the creation of "a welcoming and safe environment for every individual to feel confident enough to be vulnerable" (student).
Associate Professor
Sociology & Anthropology
Whatever the students go on to do, I want them to carry with them an understanding of and respect for human diversity around the globe and through time. - Dr. Scott Worman
Dr. Worman strives to make course materials relevant, available, and affordable. When textbook costs exceeded $125, Dr. Worman made the decision to teach textbook-free using a series of shorter readings, relevant web resources, and videos. He has also transformed student research projects in his upperclassman courses to make fieldwork more accessible to students. He partnered with colleagues to provide local historical archaeology field experiences dropping costs to one-tenth of what a national field school experience would cost. Dr. Worman has supervised dozens of student internships with organizations like the Springfield History Museum, the Center for Archaeological Research, and the Mark Twain National Forest. He also advises student research projects, many of them being published in the Missouri Archaeological Society Quarterly, Logos, and conference presentations.
Excellence in Teaching Award Nominees
- Subhasree Basu Roy, PhD, Associate Professor, Economics
- Rohit Dua, PhD, Assistant Teaching Professor, Cooperative Engineering Program
- James Keaton, DNAP, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Anesthesia
- Jeremy Neely, PhD, Assistant Professor, History
- Steven Senger, PhD, Associate Professor, Math
- Dr. Vanessa Rodriguez, Associate Professor, World Languages and Culture
- Randi Ulbricht, PhD, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences
- Alicia Walker, PhD, Associate Professor, Sociology and Anthropology